Into Reality
by McGreysMcLife
Summary: He thinks she's just a kid who can't control herself. She thinks that he's just an overachieving jerk. Something's bound to happen. MerDer AU high school.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello, everyone! I've had this story waiting for a while, and since I can't post on my other fic (the documents have spontaneously decided to lock themselves) I thought I would put up a chapter in this one. Over time, I may raise the rating of this fic, but right now I'll just post warnings when there are M rated chapters. WARNING: This chapter has a hard M rating (sex, language). Read at your discretion. **

**P.S. Please comment if you'd like me to keep going! **

x.x.x.x.x

"No, mom! I can't go. I'm not going."

"Meredith, don't be such a child. This is the one night I have off, and Mrs. Shepherd is throwing me a party –"

"To celebrate my Harper Avery award. It's the most prestigious award a surgeon can win," they finished in unison. Meredith sighed. "Congrats, mom. I know. I just don't think I have to be there. You don't like parties anyway."

"Meredith, you're going."

"But mom…"

"We're leaving in five minutes."

Meredith stormed upstairs, realizing that it wasn't worth arguing with her mother anymore. She threw on a pair of grey jeans and a tank top that was probably clean the day before. As she was lacing up her Converses, a wicked idea crossed her mind. Running to the bathroom, she tore open her make up bag and searched wildly for the hair dye she had bought on a whim the previous weekend. Afraid of her mother's response, she hadn't been brave enough to use it. Until now. She ripped the top off of the aluminum package and began to comb the dye through her hair.

"Meredith? We're leaving!" Ellis shouted up the stairs.

"I'm coming!" Meredith yelled back. Dipping her head in the sink, she washed the sticky substance out of her hair. She yanked the hair dryer out of the cabinet and flipped her hair around madly, trying to dry it as quickly as possible. Satisfied with the color, she quickly threw on eyeliner, mascara, and lipgloss. She watched the shock grow on her mother's face as she descended the stairs.

"Meredith, your hair is…pink."

"Really? I hadn't noticed."

"Wash it out, Meredith!" Ellis gritted her teeth and pressed her lips together tightly.

"I don't think it comes out," Meredith said innocently.

"Can't you go one day without embarrassing me? Now we're going to be late and you're going to show up with pink hair." Meredith smirked to herself as Ellis shoved her out the door.

x.x.x.x.x

"Ellis! I'm so glad you could come. And Meredith, you look, uh, lovely."

Meredith plastered a smile to her face as she looked at Mrs. Shepherd. "Thank you, Mrs. Shepherd."

"Katherine's out tonight. But Derek's upstairs if you want to see him."

"Oh. Uh, thanks." _Like I want to see him_. Meredith had been friends with Katherine as long as she could remember; their parents worked together at Seattle Grace. But Derek – he was the typical best friend's older brother. He bumped into her in the hallways at school, hid her notebooks, teased her, and scared off her boyfriends. And the worst part was that she was always drawn back to him, no matter how much she hated him.

Reluctantly, Meredith pushed through crowds of important, socially awkward surgeons as trudged to the stairs and up to the den. She sighed when she saw Derek lying across the couch, taking up all of the space.

"You're taking up the whole couch," she said.

"Yeah."

"Do you think you could, I don't know, move? Just a little?"

"You could sit on my lap."

"I'd rather sit on the floor." Meredith took a seat on the floor at the end of the couch.

"There's plenty of room. I wouldn't mind."

"I'm sure you wouldn't. But I don't sit on the laps of dirty old men." As exhausted as she was, she tried desperately to keep up with Derek's level of conversation.

"I'm not a dirty old man."

"You try to get into my pants every chance you get; you're dirty. You're at least two years older than me; you're old. And again, you try to get into my pants every chance you get; you're a man."

"I definitely am a man." Derek smirked.

"Shut up." Meredith smacked Derek's leg.

"Ooh, feisty. I like it."

"I said shut up."

"You'll regret it. You know you love me."

"Yeah, just as much as I love being stabbed by a rusty fork."

"That was pathetic."

"Shut up."

They sat in silence for a while, watching the cartoon Derek had on the TV.

"Your hair is penicillin pink," he finally said.

"You still watch cartoons," Meredith snapped back. "And it doesn't look like penicillin!" She was in no mood to deal with Derek.

"That's where I disagree. It is like penicillin."

"Well, your hair is…" Meredith struggled for the right word. "Greasy!"

"You have too much eyeliner."

"Your girlfriends are all hideous."

"You can't keep a boyfriend for more than a month."

"You've chased away every fucking boyfriend I've ever had!"

"They weren't worth your time."

"Or you just like tormenting me!"

"You're my little sister's best friend. I didn't think they were worth your time."

"I'm your little sister's best friend. That means you have to 'save' me from my boyfriends? I happened to like some of them!"

"I didn't 'save' you. I was just…just…"

"Why bother? You don't care about me! Nobody cares about me."

"Why have a boyfriend, then? You could get around much faster if you didn't have one of them tying you down!"

"Get around? You think I get around?" Meredith asked furiously.

"You have had a lot of boyfriends!" Derek spat.

"And that makes you think I'm some sort of whore?"

"I didn't say that!"

"You thought it! Why would you say that if you didn't think it?"

"Maybe I think you need to stop fucking everything that moves!"

"Since when do you care what I do? So what if I fuck everything that moves! I also drink too much tequila! And I have mother issues! Do you want to criticize anything else I do? It's none of your fucking business! Fuck you! I hate you!"

"Maybe I hate you too!"

Meredith sat in stunned silence. Without warning, she crashed her lips into Derek's. He reacted immediately, threading his fingers through her hair and parting her lips with his tongue. She moaned and pulled him closer, raking her nails over his back.

"My room," Derek breathed. He pinned Meredith to the door as he closed it, locking his lips with hers again. She ripped off his shirt, digging her nails into his muscular back as she wrapped her legs around him. He slipped his tongue into her mouth again, their tongues dueling. He brought her to his bed and laid her down, never letting his mouth leave hers.

"Dammit! What's taking you so long?" Meredith growled as Derek undid the buttons on her jeans and slid them off.

"Nice panties," he snickered, "but I didn't know that they made thongs with…" Meredith looked down in horror and realized she was wearing her Snoopy thong.

"Shut up!" she hissed. Before Derek could get to her shirt, Meredith had already pulled it off. With agile hands, he unfastened her bra and threw it across the room.

Derek smirked as he stroked her rosy nipples with his thumbs. She squirmed as he took one into his mouth and flicked it with his tongue, teasing it mercilessly. He turned to give the other one the same attention as Meredith arched her back to meet his mouth. Even if they hated each other, every movement or noise she made fueled him on more and more. He hooked his thumbs on her panties and slid them off her long, soft legs. He heard her draw in a deep breath as he reached between her legs and stroked her clit with his thumb.

"Fuck…Derek…now," Meredith moaned into Derek's ear. She quickly undid the zipper on his jeans, yanking them off. He gasped as she reached her hands under the elastic of his boxers, slipping them off and firmly gripping the base of his hard cock.

"Woah…you're big," she whispered, momentarily forgetting the rage that was fueling her. "Condom?" she hissed as the smug look on Derek's face instantly brought her anger back.

"In the drawer." Derek groaned as he watched Meredith's delicate hands slide the condom on, smoothing it out at the base. Slowly, he thrust himself into her. "God…Meredith…you're so tight…"

Meredith let out a low moan as Derek began to pound into her. "Fuck…Derek…" she moaned. Worried about getting caught, Derek silenced her by thrusting his tongue into her mouth to match the rhythm of his cock. He watched her breasts bounce as her body echoed his movements, matching each of his thrusts with one of her own. "I…hate…you…" Meredith whispered into his ear.

"It doesn't sound like it," Derek laughed. He groaned as he began to feel Meredith's wet walls tighten around him.

"Fuck you!" Meredith whispered harshly. "Ah…ahhh…fuck!"

"Meredith! Derek!" Derek's mother shouted up the stairs.

"Crap!" Meredith hissed as she heard footsteps on the stairs. Derek groaned as Meredith pulled away from him and scrambled to collect her panties and jeans from the floor.

"What the fuck, Meredith?" Derek asked. He hadn't heard the footsteps on the stairs.

"Your mom," Meredith hissed, "is coming up the stairs right now!"

"Crap!" Derek repeated.

They both hurried around Derek's room, pulling clothing off of every horizontal surface.

"Dinner!" Derek's mother shouted. She was only a few feet away from Derek's door. Derek and Meredith frantically dressed and arranged their clothing. As she opened the door, she found Derek and Meredith sitting calmly on Derek's bed.

"Dinner time," she said softly. "Derek, please behave."

Meredith and Derek exchanged relieved glances before leaving his room and heading downstairs. Before they got to the dining room, Derek noticed Meredith's hair was completely wild. "Hair," he whispered to her.

"Shit." Meredith quickly smoothed her hands over her hair several times. "Uh, thanks. I guess I should tell you that your…problem…is pretty visible."

Derek glanced down at the still obvious bulge in his pants. "Thanks." He hurried to his seat before it could become apparent to the other guests. Meredith took the seat next to him, trying to get as far away from her mother as possible.

During dinner, Meredith felt Derek's eyes staring into her every second. As much as she hated to admit it, his gaze was intensely hot. Since they were unable to finish their hate sex, she was extremely frustrated. Derek watched her try to squirm discreetly, snickering to himself. Meredith clasped her legs together, lightly rotating her hips. Reaching his hand under the table, he slowly let it glide up her leg. Meredith glared at him and slapped his hand. Derek didn't let her ineffectual slap deter him; he moved his hand to the seam of her jeans that slid between her legs. He pressed his fingers lightly at first, gauging her response. She gasped quietly and moved her glare to her plate, hoping she wouldn't give them away. The blood drained from her face as she saw Mrs. Shepherd look up briefly, but she quickly turned back to her dinner. Meredith let out a breath of relief, realizing how close she was to being completely humiliated. She glanced back at Derek, who was grinning madly. He pressed his fingers a little harder onto the seam of her jeans, gently rubbing circles around her swollen clit. She let out a stifled moan and arched her hips slightly to meet his fingers.

"Everything okay, Meredith?" Derek's mother asked.

"Oh, yes Mrs. Shepherd. It's just…the food is really good. Thanks for having us over."

"Oh, thank you Meredith. It's my pleasure." _No, it's mine_, Meredith thought smugly.

She darted her eyes over to Derek, urging him to continue. _His_ mother had interrupted the hate sex. The really hot hate sex. And now she was about to explode with desire. Derek chuckled as he rubbed his thumb up and down the inside of her legs. With one final flick of his fingers, he sent Meredith into ecstasy. She closed her eyes and let out a low moan, relaxing against the chair. All eyes at the table turned to look at her. _Shit_, she thought.

"I'm really full," she said as coolly as possible.

Many of the people at the table seemed to accept her answer; they all turned back to their respective conversations. Meredith closed her eyes and sighed – she was safe, but only barely. This definitely wasn't over.


	2. Questions and Invitations

**A/N: Thank you so much for all of the reviews (and the overwhelming support to continue)! This chapter is a little bit shorter, but it introduces a few important people. I promise the return of the hate sex very shortly ;). **

**P.S. Again, please review! Thanks!**

"Hello?" a sleepy voice answered.

"Mark?" Derek hissed into his cell phone.

"What? It's two in the morning."

"You remember my sister Katherine?"

"Uh, yeah."

"You remember her friend Meredith?"

"The hot blonde sophomore?"

"Yeah."

"Mmmhmm. I remember."

"My parents threw a dinner party for her mom, and she came over, and we started yelling…"

"You didn't hit her, did you?"

"No, no!" Derek said hurriedly.

"You…you…you slept with her, didn't you?"

"Sort of. My mom –"

"Your mom?" Mark laughed. "Your mom caught you sleeping with Meredith Grey?"

"She didn't exactly catch us…Meredith heard her before she got to my room."

"She stopped you? Like, in the middle of it all? Oh, man. That's cruel."

Derek could hear Mark snickering on the other end of the line. "Yeah, but I got back at her during dinner."

"You didn't," Mark said in disbelief.

"She kept squirming around and making all these little noises…" Derek trailed off. His mind went back to hours before when he had his hand between Meredith's legs during dinner. The way she arched her back so her hips could meet his fingers, the way she made all of those subtle noises, the dark look of desire in her eyes. He could imagine what it would be like to do that to her over and over again, somewhere where she could scream and move all she wanted.

"Hello?"

Mark's irritated voice pulled Derek out of his fantasy. "Oh. Uh, yeah. I'm here."

"If her mom finds out, she's gonna cut your balls off. She's a really intense surgeon, right? She probably knows a way to make it extra painful."

Derek winced. "You're not helping. What should I do?"

"Go back to sleep?" Mark asked hopefully.

"The Halloween dance is on Friday. I could ask her to go with me."

"Seriously?"

"What's so wrong with that?"

"You're being pathetic."

"You know what, you're not helping at all."

"That means I can go back to sleep, right?"

"Sure, fine. Night."

"Night."

Derek slowly flipped his phone closed and closed his eyes as he lay back on his bed. He tried to push the thoughts of Meredith out of his head, but to no avail. Waiting for Friday was going to be excruciating.

x.x.x.x.x

"So, Meredith, I was thinking…"

"Good for you, Finn. Keep trying, but stop if it hurts." Meredith slammed her locker and tried to walk away, but Finn easily caught up with her.

"Ha ha. But really, the Halloween dance is Friday. And I was thinking that maybe you'd like to go with me. I mean, if you're not doing anything," Finn said wishfully.

Meredith started to turn down Finn's invitation, but she realized that Derek was staring at her from his locker. The way he looked at her – she felt naked. But she wasn't going to let him win.

"Oh, sure Finn. That sounds great. I'll see you at seven?" Meredith gently pushed Finn towards the lockers, nudging herself between his legs so she could reach up to kiss him. She captured his lips tenderly at first, but she could still feel Derek's eyes watching her intently. She heard him let out a low moan as she slipped her tongue past his lips, deepening their kiss. She let her hands roam across his chest as he rested his hands on the small of her back. Allowing her eyes to sneak a peek at Derek, Meredith was surprised to see him locking his lips with another girl. But his eyes were still focused on Meredith.

Meredith was about to pull Finn into the girl's bathroom, just to spite Derek, but Cristina walked by and gave her an angry glare.

"I've gotta go," Meredith whispered. "But I'll see you on Friday." She walked off, leaving Finn confused but happy. She ran to catch up with Cristina.

"Cristina!" she yelled after her.

"What?"

"What was that for?"

"You were making out with…ugh…Finn. But you were having eye sex with Kath's brother."

"No I wasn't," Meredith said defensively. "I mean, about the eye sex."

"Mmmhmm. Sure. I can almost smell the sex on your eyes."

"Wh – what? You can't smell eye sex…"

"So you admit you were having eye sex."

"I didn't say that!"

"Yeah."

"Shut up. You're going to be late for geometry," Meredith pouted. She hurried off to her next class and took a seat near the back of the classroom. She sighed when she saw Derek come into the room and take the seat next to her.

"You're avoiding me," he whispered.

"No I'm not."

"You're doing it right now."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

Meredith sighed. "Of course I am," she whispered. "You almost humiliated me in front of your mother, half of the hospital, and my mother. And she already hates me enough as it is."

"But I didn't humiliate you, did I? It seemed like you needed it," Derek snickered.

"Why are you such an ass?"

"I'm good at it. I'm also a very sexy ass."

"Ms. Grey? Mr. Shepherd?" the teacher interrupted. "I'm trying to teach a class. If you have an issue that needs to be settled, I suggest you do it outside of class."

Taking the opportunity, Meredith asked to go to the bathroom. She got up and slowly walked to the bathrooms, taking her time. The less time she had to spend with Derek, the better. She paced around the bathroom for a while, trying to kill some time.

After it seemed like it had been long enough, Meredith walked to the door. "What are you doing here?" she asked as she opened the door. Derek stood in the doorway, smirking but trying desperately to look innocent.

"Can I come in?" he asked. "It's cold out here."

"And the bathroom will be warmer?"

"We can make it warmer," Derek said in a low, husky whisper. "In fact, I think we can make it really hot."

"Shut up!" Meredith hissed as she dragged him in. "When will you realize that I really don't like you?"

"When you stop dragging me into bedrooms and bathrooms."

Meredith started to beat Derek's chest with her tiny, balled up fists.

"Your fists are tiny and ineffectual," Derek stated coolly.

"Your penis is tiny and ineffectual!"

"Um…guys?" a small voice asked from one of the stalls. "I'm, uh, here. Should I leave?"

"Shit!" Meredith and Derek yelled together.

"Hi, I'm Rose," a small freshman said as she stepped out of the stall. She looked from Derek, to Meredith, and finally back to Derek. Keeping her eyes focused on him the entire time, she said, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you were here."

"Oh, and I bet your penis isn't tiny or ineffectual," she added as she walked out of the room.

Meredith glared at Derek who was smiling amusedly. "She was hitting on you!" Meredith exclaimed.

"Yeah, I know." Derek was still grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "She's kinda hot…for a freshman. Maybe I'll ask her to the Halloween dance, especially seeing as you don't like me _and_ you're going with Finn."

"You're right; I don't care. Have fun with your slutty freshman." Meredith stormed out of the bathroom, leaving Derek uncertain as to what to do next. The only thing he could think of was Friday._ Two more days_, he thought to himself. _Two more days_.


	3. The Dance

**A/N: Hello everyone! I owe you all an apology - I promised hate sex, but it's not here. I have plans for sex, definitely. But not hate sex. I'm sorry :(. Now, thank yous! I appreciate all of your wonderful reviews so much! They make my day. Warning: Rated M for strong language.**

**P.S. I'm a little unsure about this chapter, so please let me know what you think!**

"Meredith!"

"What?" Meredith yelled from the bathroom.

"Finn's here! I'm going to the hospital. Don't wait up!" Ellis yelled back.

Meredith grumbled under her breath as she put the finishing touches on her costume and make up. Satisfied with the whole look, she left the bathroom and headed downstairs.

"Wow, Meredith. You look…amazing."

"Thanks. You, uh, look good too," she added quickly. "Are you a…nurse?"

"Um…not exactly. I'm a vet."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I thought, you know…I don't know. I guess I want to be a vet."

"Then I must want to be a French maid?" Meredith asked dubiously.

"Oh…uh, no. No! That's not what I meant. You…you look great. I – I was just saying…about my costume…" Finn stuttered. Meredith rolled her eyes and pulled him out the front door.

As they drove back to school, Finn rested his hand on Meredith's fishnet clad thigh. She shifted uncomfortably and gently pushed his hand off her leg.

"I'm a little warm," she said as he gave her a confused look. "Maybe you could open the window?"

"No need; we're here." Finn quickly rushed around to the other side of the car to open the door for Meredith. She hopped out and ran to meet her friends, who were waiting at the door.

"Thank God," Cristina muttered. "Fairy Princess here is going to make me vomit." She gestured to Izzie, who was wearing a pink dress and fairy wings. "You brought _him_?" she asked disappointedly as she looked at Finn.

"He asked me," Meredith muttered innocently.

"At least you look decent."

"You do too. Very…um…cat-like." Meredith studied Cristina's spandex Catwoman suit. It was very Cristina.

"Come on, guys! I don't want to miss Alex! He's waiting inside!" Izzie said as she pulled them inside. The gym, however decorated, still smelled of sweaty teenagers and old socks.

"Um…Meredith?" Finn asked quietly. "Do you want to…uh…dance with me?"

"Sure," Meredith said as she walked out to the middle of the room. A slow, heart wrenching song wafted through the room. Meredith felt Finn snake his hands around her waist as they swayed to the beat of the song. As the song continued, she felt his hands travel lower and lower, until he had them grabbing her ass. Gently, she pulled his hands back up to her waist.

Then she saw Derek. He was dancing with Rose. _Rose's_ arms were draped around his neck, and his hands were resting on _her_ ass. _That should be me_, Meredith thought. _No! Wait…no! No, it shouldn't. He deserves that slutty freshman. Finn's a good guy._ But as her eyes met Derek's, she melted. She was snapped out of her trance by a new pair of strong arms wrapping around her waist.

"Mind if I cut in?"

Meredith gently pushed Finn out of the way and turned around. "Derek?" she hissed. "What're you doing?"

"Dancing with you," he said as he pulled Meredith close to him. Meredith wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

"No, you're not," she whispered harshly. "You're going back to dance with your slutty freshman."

"Hey, she's not slutty."

"Then why is she making out with my date?" Meredith nodded to Rose and Finn, who were lost in their own little world.

As the song ended, Meredith pulled away from Derek.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Out."

"Why?"

"Well, seeing as I don't have a date anymore, I thought I might go get some air."

Meredith marched out of the room and walked outside. Sitting on the front steps, she sighed and rested her head in her hands. It was Derek's fault that she didn't have a date anymore.

"Are you going to keep that outfit?" Derek's voice interrupted Meredith's train of thought. "Because it's really hot. I mean…really hot."

"Do you really think this is a good time to talk about that?"

"Well, since our dates are probably in some very compromising positions now, I thought we might need some cheering up."

"Cheering up? I don't just need _cheering up_! You just chased off another one of my boyfriends! I actually kind of liked this one! He was a good guy!"

"Even your friends don't think he's good enough for you."

"Who cares? The sex is good and he actually cares about me."

"The sex? You slept with him? Why did you fucking sleep with him? He doesn't deserve you!"

"Derek, I…I…"

"You know what, Meredith, don't tell me. I don't want to know. I'll go pull Rose off of Finn. He cares about you. Because, of course, _he_ saved you from drowning in a swimming pool when you were five! _He_ gave you _his_ ice cream at _his_ 12th birthday party when you dropped yours! _He_ got you chocolate at two A.M. when your first boyfriend broke up with you! _He's_ fucking loved you as long as he can remember!"

Meredith stood in awe as Derek stormed up the stairs. "Wait!" she yelled after him. "Derek!"

Derek turned around, glaring at her. "What?" he spat.

"I…I didn't…actually sleep with him. I just said that to, you know, make you angry," Meredith said meekly.

"I just tell you I've fucking loved you for my entire life, and all you can say is that you were trying to make me angry? Fuck this, Meredith. I'm going to get Rose."

"Derek, wait! Please," Meredith whispered.

"No, Meredith. I can tell you really fucking hate me. Go be happy with Finn. He's the one that cares about you, right?"

Meredith grabbed Derek's arm. Desperately, she softly crashed her lips in to his. Running her tongue along his bottom lip, she begged his lips to part. Reluctantly they did, but he pulled away quickly.

"I don't want to do this, Meredith. I don't want to hate you. I'm going to find Rose. I hope the sex is as good as you think it'll be." Without waiting for an answer, Derek went back into the building to find Rose.

Tears running down her face, Meredith slumped back onto the steps. _Fuck_, she thought. _Fuck!_ _He tells you he loves you, and what do you do? You try to make him angry at you. You stupid fucking kid._

**A/N 2: I know the whole thing with Finn/Meredith/Derek is a little confusing...but I hope the next chapter will clear things up. Please review!**


	4. Confession

**A/N: I'm back! I'm really sorry I've taken so long to update - real life has been quite a pest. I hope I can have another chapter up soon.**

**P.S. Please review! Your comments are hugely appreciated.**

"Mer, I just want you to know…she grabbed me. Really, I was trying to push her off."

"And that's why your tongue was in her esophagus?" Meredith asked bitterly.

"Mer…" Finn wrapped his arm around Meredith's back, dragging her closer to him. "I didn't want to kiss her," he whispered. "I wanted to kiss you." He pulled her head towards his, capturing her soft lips with his rough, chapped ones. Immediately, Meredith pushed him away and wiped her lips with the back of her hand. She opened the car door and climbed out.

"Wait, Mer…" Finn pleaded.

"Sorry, Finn. I just don't want to see anyone right now, okay? Oh, and don't call me 'Mer.'" Meredith slammed the car door and rushed inside through the pouring rain. She tore off her costume and angrily wiped off the mascara streaming down her face. Throwing on an old, faded concert t-shirt, she fell onto her bed and sighed deeply into the pillows.

Derek said he loved her.

_Love_.

The word ran over and over again through her head. _Love. Love._

Meredith picked up the phone that was on her nightstand. Slowly, she dialed Derek's number. After two rings, she hung up. _I can't do this_, she thought. _I can't do this. He's probably with Rose right now anyway_. She flopped back down onto her bed, letting the phone fall to the floor.

_Love._

Picking up the phone again, Meredith dialed Derek's number.

"Hello?"

Meredith quickly hung up and put the phone back on her nightstand.

_Love_.

Taking the phone back for the last time, Meredith deliberately punched each button as she dialed Derek's number.

"Hello?" an obviously exhausted voice asked after four rings.

Meredith sat completely still, unable to speak.

"Hello?" the voice asked again. "Meredith?"

"Yeah," Meredith said softly, gathering up all her courage.

"Meredith, it's midnight. What do you want?"

"Um…I…I…kind of wanted…to see…you."

"Meredith, you don't have to pity me."

"No…it's just…Finn…"

"What did he do to you?" Derek asked, his voice angry and full of concern.

"Nothing," Meredith said quickly. "We…he…it was just one little kiss…"

"It's late, Meredith. I'll see you at school."

"No!"

"I don't want to hear about you kissing other guys."

"I mean…wait. I just….wait."

"I'm waiting."

"I don't want to do the thing."

"The thing?"

"You know, the awkward thing where I say something, then you say something, then we're quiet, then you hate me, then I cry, then you say you forgive me but you're still angry, then I ask why you're angry, then you tell me and I'm angry, then we're quiet again, then…"

"You're rambling."

"I…I know. Sorry."

"That's okay. I don't mind."

They sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Who is it?" Meredith heard a soft voice ask.

"Umm…no one," Derek whispered back.

"Oh. I see," Meredith said dejectedly. "Rose, right?"

Derek's silence confirmed Meredith's suspicions. "I'll see you at school, Derek." She slammed the phone down, but picked it up after it began to ring again.

"Derek?" she asked hopefully.

"Meredith? This is Dr. Webber. I'm a colleague of your mother's. She wanted me to call and tell you that she won't be home tonight."

"She _wanted_ you to call?"

"Alright, you caught me. I thought it would be a good idea."

"Thanks, Dr. Webber. Bye."

x.x.x.x.x

"Cristina?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you going to Jackie's party tonight?"

"Uh…yeah. It started a while ago."

"I know. Can you pick me up?"

"Why? I'm already at the party."

"I need tequila."

"I knew Finn would be that bad."

"It's not Finn. It's Derek."

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

Meredith clicked her phone closed and pulled on her costume again. She needed to stop thinking. She needed tequila.

The doorbell rang just as she finished re-applying her heavy eye makeup.

"Thanks," she muttered to Cristina as she pulled the door closed behind her.

x.x.x.x.x

"Hey, you're Meredith, right?"

"Uh…yeah. Who are you?" Meredith asked.

"Viper."

"Hi, Viper."

"You know, I'm not just good looking. I'm also talented."

"At what?" Meredith giggled as she tossed back another shot of tequila.

"Wouldn't you like to know…" Viper said. He inched himself closer to Meredith on the couch as she took a swig from the tequila bottle. He smoothly slid his arm around her shoulder, letting his hand brush against the V-neck of her costume.

"I think…I would," Meredith slurred as she climbed on top of Viper. She grabbed the back of his head and pulled his lips to hers, quickly slipping her tongue between them. As he kissed back, Meredith began to feel sick. Suddenly, she jumped up and backed away from Viper.

"What're you doing, babe?" Viper asked confusedly. He reached for Meredith, but she stumbled back from him. She took a long drink from the tequila before falling out the door and pulling out her cell phone.

"H – hello?" a tired voice asked.

"Derek!" Meredith exclaimed. "It's me, Meredith."

"It's two A.M, Meredith. Go to sleep."

"Were you with Rose when I called? Because I don't really care if you were. But I want to know, because then I might have to hate you, which would be really hard but I would have to try because I really hate Rose and -"

"You're rambling again."

"I still want to know."

"That was Nancy, Meredith. She wanted to know who was calling me at midnight."

"Oh," said Meredith, feeling embarrassed. "I kinda need you, Derek. I'm at a – a party. Jackie's Halloween party. And I think I'm kinda drunk, so I can't drive home. And I can't find Cristina; I think she's on the floor somewhere. And there's this guy-"

"Meredith!" Viper called. "Come back, baby!"

"No, Viper," Meredith hissed. "Derek, can you pick me up?" she whispered into the phone.

"I don't think –"

"Viper! Get off of me!" Meredith yelled. She pushed his groping hands off of her, clinging to her phone.

"I'll be there in five minutes," Derek said.

x.x.x.x.x

"Uh…thanks…" Meredith whispered as she stumbled out of the car. "Ooops," she giggled as she fell onto the grass.

"I think you might need some help," Derek said concernedly as he draped Meredith's arm around his shoulder. "Give me your keys,"

Meredith handed Derek the keys, letting her hands linger on his. "You have sexy hands," she whispered. "They're really soft."

"Um…thank you." Derek opened the front door and helped Meredith up the stairs. "Do you want to change out of this?"

Meredith nodded and lay back on her bed. She let Derek help her out of the costume, all of her self-consciousness obliterated by the copious amounts of tequila.

_Shit_, Derek thought as he took off Meredith's costume. He shouldn't notice how pert and full her breasts were, how rosy her nipples were, how tight and flat her stomach was. He was supposed to hate her.

"What do you want to sleep in?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know," Meredith mumbled.

"Here, you can have my t-shirt," Derek said, realizing he probably wasn't going to get a helpful answer out of Meredith. He pulled off his t-shirt and helped Meredith into it.

"It smells like you," she whispered. "You smell good."

"Thanks. I'm going to go now, okay?" Derek said softly.

"No! I mean, please stay. No one ever cares enough to stay. But you said you cared. And it kinda feels good to be cared about every once in a while. Please stay, Derek," Meredith pleaded.

"Okay," Derek sighed as he climbed into Meredith's bed and gently draped his arm across her waist while she huddled close to him.

"I love you," Meredith murmured into Derek's chest. "I know you probably think I don't mean it because I'm drunk. And I mean really drunk. But I do mean it. I do. I don't really want to love you, because it really hurts now I know you don't love me anymore. You love Rose. And I tried loving Finn, but it didn't work. And I kissed Viper, but it made me kind of sick. So I thought you might want to know. I love you. Goodnight, Derek."

"Goodnight, Meredith." Derek lightly brushed Meredith's hair away from her face, watching her fall into a deep sleep. When he was sure she was asleep, he whispered, "I love you too."


	5. Me Too

**A/N: Sorry it took me a little longer than I thought. I hope you all like this chapter! (Everybody needs a little MerDer fluff now and then.) WARNING: Somewhat of an M rating for later parts of the chapter.**

"Good morning."

"Mmmf," Meredith mumbled as she buried her head in her pillow. She heard a low chuckle, followed by a squeeze around her waist. Suddenly, she realized that there was a pair of strong, muscular arms wrapped around her. And they were bare. She turned to see Derek smiling at her with mussed hair and noticeable stubble. Looking down, she realized she wasn't wearing one of her own t-shirts.

Quickly gaining consciousness, Meredith sat up. "Oww," she muttered as she rubbed her aching head. "Uh…Derek…did we, um, you know…"

Derek chuckled again. "You'd remember if we did, trust me."

Meredith let out a sigh of relief and let her head fall back onto the pillow. Vague memories of the previous night were coming back to her. "Did I…uh…say anything…interesting…last night?"

"Apparently, I have sexy hands," Derek laughed. "And I smell good."

Meredith felt a blush creep up her cheeks. "Oh," she murmured. "I don't remember saying that. Sorry."

"That's okay. Do you remember anything you said?"

_Dammit_, Meredith thought as memories of her long rant to Derek came flooding back. "You said things. You need to stop saying things. Because those things made me say things," she muttered.

"Did you mean…_things_?" Derek asked.

"Did you?"

"Which things?"

"The first ones. Not the Rose ones."

"Yeah."

"Me too."

They lay quietly on Meredith's bed, each trying to come up with something to say.

"Thanks for staying, by the way," Meredith said to break the silence. "Um, Derek…do you think…since we…and you…I don't know. Never mind."

"What?"

"Do you think…we could try _this_? I mean, the whole you and me thing. If you really meant what you said. It's okay if you didn't, though. I could totally understand if you didn't mean it. I mean, you have Rose, and I guess I have Finn, but even if I didn't have Finn and you didn't have Rose, you still wouldn't have to mean it. And I know you're older than me, and you're one of my best friend's older brothers, and I…"

"Rambling again."

"Sorry."

"I think it's cute."

"So…can we…I mean, only if you want….can we try…this?"

"I'd like that."

"Me too." Meredith settled her head on Derek's chest, wrapping her arms around him.

"I like waking up like this," she whispered.

"Me too," he whispered back.

"Shit!" Meredith suddenly exclaimed. "What time is it?"

"Nine, why?"

"My mom! Shit, shit, shit! She wasn't supposed to come home last night…she'll be here any minute!"

"Relax," Derek laughed.

"What? Relax? How can I relax? If my mom finds you here, without a shirt, in my bed, she'll castrate you!"

"Ouch. You didn't have to mention castration."

"She would."

"Relax. Dr. Webber called an hour ago and said that she wouldn't be back until late tonight."

"Thank God. You know, that means we have to whole house to ourselves."

"Mer," Derek sighed. "I don't want to do that to you."

"You don't want to have sex with me?" Meredith asked embarrassedly. "I'm sorry, I should have known. I just…I'm sorry. I'll go get dressed now."

"Mer, it's not that I don't want to have sex with you. It's definitely not that. It's just…you're better than that. You deserve more than a relationship based on sex."

"So…no sex? Ever?"

"There'll be lots of sex. I mean, lots. But you're worth more than just sex to me, Mer."

Meredith nodded and nuzzled her face into the crook of Derek's neck. "How long does that mean we have to wait?" she whispered.

"We're taking it slow, Mer."

"We're taking it slow…does that mean we can't do this?" Meredith asked as she ran her fingers through Derek's hair, pulling his lips to hers, parting them easily. Derek's fingers quickly became entangled in her hair as his tongue explored the soft, warm caverns of her mouth. He placed a hand on her thigh and gently lifted her onto his lap, never breaking the kiss. When they finally came up for air, Meredith smiled and laid her head on Derek's shoulder.

"We can do that any time you want," Derek chuckled. "Even at two a.m. All you need to do is call." He leaned in to kiss Meredith again, but she playfully swatted him away.

"I need food first. Food, then kissing."

x.x.x.x.x

"What will Kath say?" Meredith asked as she took a bite of her favorite delicacy, cold pizza.

"About what?"

"Us."

"Oh. I don't know. I'm more worried about your mom."

"Don't worry. As long as she doesn't find you naked in the house, she probably won't even notice. Should we tell your mom?"

"The minute we walk in the door she'll figure it out. She has an innate sense for stuff like that."

"Do you think she remembers what you did at the dinner party?"

"At the table?"

"Mmmhhmm," Meredith mumbled with a mouthful of pizza.

"I don't think she'll bother you about it."

Meredith's eyes widened in horror. "So…she knows what you did?"

"It wouldn't surprise me."

"Oh my God! I came in your dining room, at a party, in front of your MOTHER? And she KNOWS? DEREK!" Meredith began to pound Derek's chest with her tiny, balled up fists.

Derek laughed and gently restrained Meredith's hands. "Like I said, I don't think she'll bother you about it."

"Let me go!" Meredith squealed. "I'm not done hitting you yet!" She twisted and turned in his grasp, but he wouldn't let go. Being as gentle as he could, while still being in control, Derek pinned Meredith to the wall, her hands high above her head. His body pressed against hers as their lips collided, tongues dancing and fighting for control. He could feel her nipples harden under the thin fabric of his t-shirt as he began to kiss lower and lower. Letting her hands go free, he planted soft kisses on her stomach, chest, and finally her breasts as he lifted the t-shirt up. Taking one rosy bud in his mouth, he licked and sucked until Meredith was moaning and squirming uncontrollably. She could feel a wet spot growing in her panties as her core ached. While Derek was fixated on her breasts, she timidly reached one of her fingers between her legs to give herself some temporary relief. Derek pulled away and smiled when he realized what she was doing.

"It looks like you've got this one," he murmured in her ear. "I guess you won't be needing me." He turned to leave, but a frantic plea from Meredith stopped him.

"I need you, Derek!" she moaned. "Please."

"Well, since you were polite." Derek smirked as he swept Meredith off her feet and carried her upstairs. Laying her down on her bed, he pulled the t-shirt over her head and slowly dragged her panties down her legs.

"You're so beautiful, Mer," he whispered as stared into her bright, green eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too."

For once, Meredith was happy. And it felt good.

**A/N 2: I know they were supposed to be taking it slow...but I just couldn't resist. Please let me know what you think!**


	6. Author's Note

Hello everyone! I want to send my deepest apologies for the unannounced, year long hiatus my fics went on. It wasn't fair to all of you, especially since you have been so kind to me (and my stories!). I can't promise particularly regular updating, but I do intend to continue with these fics in the very near future. Thank you for all your support!


End file.
